In his second MLB season, Washington Nationals infielder Anthony Rendon is becoming a household name. His .287 average and 103 hits are tops for the National League East-leading Nationals. Despite his success, Rendon was denied a spot in Tuesday's All-Star Game. He was among the five N.L. players on the final vote ballot, and fans selected the Cubs' Anthony Rizzo.
Rendon does not have any hard feelings. He got the opportunity to sleep in his own bed for four days with no commitments. Besides, entering a game for only a few innings could have been a snooze for Rendon. And when it comes to television, Rendon's baseball fandom is limited.
“I don't watch baseball -- it's too long and boring,” he told the Washington Post.
The Nationals are in the middle of a pennant race and their best hitter does not like watching baseball. Is that a problem? His success thus far in 2014 suggests otherwise.
Perhaps it is a problem for Major League Baseball, which is under constant criticism for games being too long. Just this past month, Americans got a taste of soccer, with standard games never lagging longer than two hours. MLB only produces a couple games every few seasons that rival that pace.
Rendon says his family has a rule that he is not allowed to talk about baseball when he visits. Some players eat, sleep and dream baseball. Rendon only thinks about it a few hours a day.
Whatever works for him. No one in the Nationals front office is complaining right now.
As for the All-Star Game, hosted by the Minnesota Twins, Nats pitcher Jordan Zimmerman was originally named to the roster, but he had to back out due to injury. Fellow Nats pitcher Tyler Clippard was a replacement for the Braves' Julio Teheran. Clippard allowed zero runs in two-thirds of an inning.
